


The Age of Ambition

by DinoRoar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Female Harry, Female Harry Potter, Gray Harry, Hana-Hesperia Potter, Harry is female, Harry is like James, Intelligent Harry, Multi, Neutral Harry, Prankster Harry Potter, Punk Harry, Smart Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 12:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8751991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoRoar/pseuds/DinoRoar
Summary: Hana-Hesperia Potter may have been left orphaned when she was one year old, but that hasn't stopped her from aiming to make her parents, specifically her father proud. A punk rock female Harry that has a penchant for being mysterious, mischievous and causing trouble. Let those who underestimated her tremble beneath her ambition for all that is great.





	1. The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my take on if Harry were born a girl. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave me a review if there's anything you want to see change or if you have a suggestion, enjoy.  
> I am also taking suggestions on the pairing of Ria with another character and which house she'll be sorted into.

The room was dusty and dark, barely any light was available, and the little that was there seeped in from underneath the door. The room housed many toys, possibly hundreds. The one thing they all had in common, was that they were in some way broken or ruined. From the guitar that pitifully lent up against the wall with frayed and broken strings, to the headless toys and teddy bears piled up on an overflowing shelf. The room was the perfect picture of a graveyard for toys.

At first, there was no life to be seen in the room, just a barren and dark storage room. And yet, a quiet, almost muffled whispering could be heard from the corner, where a mattress lay upon the floor with a raggedy blanket on top. A small, almost wisp of a girl was huddled into the corner, the blanket draped over her form. A vain attempt at keeping out the cold. Her body was racked with raging shivers, and she looked like her whole body would break into two if they continued. Teeth chattered harshly as she valiantly carried on reading from a small and faded book that she clutched tightly between both hands. Her eyes squinted down at the coloured and aged pages, the miniscule amount of light doing nothing to aid her.

Her knees were drawn up towards her chest, and attempt at keeping out the chill that filled the room. A flash of light from outside illuminated her face, catching onto her eerie green eyes, almost like emeralds. They showed pain and sadness as clear as ones reflection in a mirror that had just been polished to perfection. Her wild mane of black curls, waves and ringlets were snarled and knotted, matted to her head. They had clearly not been washed or brushed for some time. Her clothes were tattered, holy and clearly second or third hand. A pair of black leggings, with white paint stains and torn up knees along with an old and ratty band top, it was black with a blue design of a baby swimming, and originally designed to be oversized, but on her it swamped her whole body.

She had found clothes in a nearby charity shop, and the woman who volunteered inside had clearly taken pity upon the young girl who had stood before her in boys clothing over three sizes too big, and had let her take them and a few other pieces for free. In return, the young girl helped out in the shop with tagging items upstairs and sorting them into piles once a week for a few hours. The situation benefited the both of them in some way. The lady, Delia had a little helper, and the small girl had an escape from her home, and therefore her family. It suited the pair of them.

The girl shifted, sucking in a deep breath as she accidently hit the wall. It created a quiet, almost unnoticeable thumping noise. When she noticed that nothing had happened afterwards, she released her breath and continued to move until her legs were crossed and her book was resting in her lap. A slender finger reached out and quietly flicked the page over, revealing another page of writing, unlike the typed font of most books, this was clearly handwritten. The sharp and clearly practiced handwriting was emphasised with small ink blots across the page. But it wasn’t the subject matter that had drawn the young girl to this specific book. Transfiguration, a type of magic which involved turning one thing into something else, from what she had grasped. No, it had been the name that had enticed her into opening the book and delving into the handwritten notes and plans. The name that had been carefully printed on the first page of the book, underneath the word Diary, which had been crossed out and renamed ‘Transfiguration Journal’ above it.

James Potter.

Her father.

Her father had wrote in this book, he had filled it with his own imaginative and creative ideas and plans, he had recorded a multitude of funny, serious and important experiences that he had gone through. And he had left it to her. The young girl had found it a few years ago, buried deep inside of a trunk in the attic that she had been forced to clean. There were other books to, documenting different lessons that her father had apparently taken when he had gone to school. A place named Hogwarts. She wasn’t too sure if the whole thing was real or made up. But either way, the fact that her father had made sure that she had something to document her parents meant the world to her. To go with the Transfiguration book, there was also a Defence, Charms, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures book. That was the one that clued her into the whole magic aspect. Lastly, was a small tattered guide that had clearly been annotated over multiple times and treasured above all others. Quidditch through the Ages. She hadn’t know what Quidditch even meant before she had read it, that hadn’t been taught at her school. But it had fascinated her.

To compliment the books that had been left to her by her father, which while containing interesting and useful notes, was mainly filled with humorous stories and ideas for pranks and practical jokes, was another set of books. These had clearly been cared for in comparison to her fathers, as they barely looked like they had aged. While her fathers had all been handwritten and his own, these were actual text books that had been annotated on with helpful, informative and academic notes. These were her mothers. Lillian Evans had been clearly written in the top left hand corner of each book, and there were more of them then her fathers. Astronomy, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. The handwriting was more delicate, curved and feminine. Tiny doodles had been made throughout the book, enough to let her know that her mother hadn’t harboured any artistic abilities unlike her father. Her father could clearly draw. In fact, he clearly took any opportunity to do so that was presented to him. Inside of the Transfiguration Journal there was a beautiful drawing on the page adjacent to his last entry. It was a ghostly looking stag. It stood tall and proud looking almost ethereal. It was stunning. Underneath was just one word, written in her father’s neatest handwriting, Prongs.

The last entry was a letter. A letter that had been clearly written with his daughter in mind. While there were few ink splodges on this entry, there were areas where the pages were almost wrinkled, and the ink had bled slightly. Almost as if her father had been crying when he had sat down to write it. To her, it made it mean more to her, it was more sentimental. She had first read that entry when she was seven years old. And now, just minutes away from her eleventh birthday, she read them again. Stroking her fingers over the pages as she whispered the words that she had long since committed to her memory.

_My dearest and most precious Ria,_

_I always knew that I would have children, it was what was expected of me from such a young age, to carry on the Potter name and to bring pride to the Potter name as my ancestors did before me. But I always expected that my children would be boys that I would have little mini me’s running all around the house, and later Hogwarts, wreaking havoc and causing trouble as often as possible. But when you were born, it wasn’t what I had expected, Potters always had sons first, so I already knew that you were special before anyone else. But know that I’ve never regretted you._

_Baby star, you are more than I had ever expected and wished for, and I love you so much more than you could ever believe. I hope that I will have all the time in the world to show you just how much I love and cherish you. In fact, if I get one wish, it would be to see you grow up from my beautiful little baby girl into a wonderful young woman. But even if I don’t get that chance, then I want you to know that I am so proud of you already, and I’ll always be proud of you no matter what. Even if you’re sorted into Slytherin when you get to Hogwarts I will love you more than anything, because I know how special you are baby star. You deserve the world sweetheart, and I’m going to try and give you it, even if your mummy says that you’ll turn out spoilt._

_I want you to know baby star, that I will always love you, no matter what. You will always be the brightest shining star in my world and no matter what happens, I will always be there for you. Whether it is in person as your guide and teacher on how the world works, or even from somewhere else. If I can’t be with you physically, know that I will always be there in your heart darling, and you will always be in mine._

_I don’t want to leave you baby star, I want you to know that more than anything. Bad things have been happening in our world baby, and daddy has to help to try and fix it. I’m going to try with everything I have to stay with you baby star, but, if I can’t and have to leave you, know that I never wanted to. Know that you are always in my thoughts and I’m fighting to come home to you every time that I have to leave. I want you to know that I’m fighting for you to have a better future and the best life possible. You are my reason for fighting baby star._

_Mummy and daddy love you so much baby girl, and I hope that no matter what happens to me, you will get the life you deserve. One filled with joy and happiness, the best life possible. Because baby star, you deserve it more than anyone else in the world. Daddy has to go now, but I will always be there with you, in your heart. If you ever feel lonely, look up at the stars and know that daddy is up there, watching over you and making sure that you’re safe._

_I love you so much Hana-Hesperia Lilliana Potter, and I always will, no matter what. Aim for the moon baby, because you deserve the best. Soar above everyone, and strive for your dreams._

_I love you baby star, my sweetest Ria._

_Lord James Fleamont Potter,_

_Your biggest fan,_

_Your Daddy_

_X_

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she silently cried, reading the last few words she clutched the book to her chest, pretending that it was her father, her daddy that she was holding close to her, and not a book. She couldn’t work out how he could be proud of her. She was nothing, a freak. Even if magic was real, like her mum and dad had learnt, she clearly wasn’t good enough to live in their world. Why else would she be left with Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley? Her family that didn’t tolerate anything being different, and they couldn’t stand her. They didn’t even call her by her name, it was always just Girl. She was always teased for her name, but she bet her daddy had been teased for his middle name too. But he was probably big enough that no one hurt him like they did to her. And she bet her mummy was never teased either, they were probably really strong and smart.

She knew they were Head Girl and Head Boy, there was a photo of them in their uniform inside of her dad’s book, tucked behind the letter he had written specially for her. Her father was tall, and kind of skinny, but he had some muscles she supposed. He had hair like her, or she had hair like him. It was black and unruly, ruffled and poking out in all directions. His eyes were hazel, they had little bits of green mixed in with the brown, and he wore glasses. He had his Head Boy badge pinned to his jumper along with another badge that had a big golden C and the word Captain underneath, his Quidditch Captain badge. Her mother stood next to him smiling and looking smart. Lilly Evans was beautiful. She had flaming red hair, it was mainly straight, but it had a slight wave to it as it flowed down her back and to her waist. Her eyes were a bright and vibrant shade of green and the light makeup she wore emphasised this, making them stand out even more. Her mother had a curvy figure, and was rather tall, she was only slightly shorter than James, who had hooked an arm around her waist as they both smiled at the camera. They wore matching ties in shades of red and gold, and held sticks, wands, in their hands.

Ria couldn’t help looking at the picture and running her fingers over it every now and then. It was the only photograph she owned of her parents, and she treasured it above everything else. She had made sure that the Dursley’s, her ‘family’ didn’t know about all of the books that her parents had left to her. She had brought the trunk down from the attic when they had gone out for a family trip and had left her at home to clean. She had gently pushed the trunk from the attic, causing it to fall through the hatch and onto her mattress that she had placed underneath. She had dragged them back into her bedroom and had hidden the trunk in the small cupboard that served as a wardrobe in her room. She refused to let her precious belongings be taken from her, especially ones that had once belonged to her parents.

Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like if her parents hadn’t died, would she have been brought up knowing all about magic, learning about it from a young age. Would she have been taught how to play Quidditch by her father? Would they have played with her and made sure she never felt lonely, and most of all, would they have been like a proper family. Would they have had another baby, so that she could have a sibling of her own to love and care for? She thought that they would have, that they would have been the best family possible.

She knew from her dad’s books that he had received his letter of acceptance for Hogwarts when he was eleven, he had received it on his birthday in fact. It had been brought to him by an owl from the school and he had been asked to attend Hogwarts for seven years so that he could learn how to use and master his magic. So that was what Ria had to do. She had to wait for the morning, when a beautiful owl would fly through the window and bring her a letter that would allow her to be whisked away from the Dursley’s.

She could wait until then, and she would make sure that she made the owl some bacon too, it was a long journey from Scotland to Surrey, and the owl would be hungry. It wouldn’t be much longer now, until she would be free from her family, only to return in the summer for a few weeks, surely they wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to be rid of her for most of the year, they usually complained about her taking up too much room so it was the best thing for them both.  


She gently closed the book and placed it beneath the thin and threadbare pillow at one end of the mattress before curling up under her blanket. Hana-Hesperia Potter would be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September, and there was nothing that the Dursley’s could do about it. And while she doubted her ability to get into Gryffindor like her parents, she knew her father would be proud of her no matter where she was placed, and that was all that mattered.

She would make sure that her parents were proud of her no matter what, she would be a Quidditch Captain just like her dad had always hoped and she’d make sure that she was a Prefect and even Head Girl. She was going to ensure that her parents would have nothing to be disappointed about, because she was going to do whatever it took to be what they had dreamed for. First of all, she would have to find out what had actually been the cause of her parents death, because she knew that they hadn’t died in a car crash, they would have been able to save themselves with their magic. She would then have to find out why she had been placed with the Dursley’s of all people, they hated the idea of being different, and she was terrified of what would happen to her if she even mentioned the word magic in front of them. Nothing good she could guess.

None of that mattered anymore though, because soon she would be learning magic with other young witches and wizards, and there had to be some that had been brought up not knowing about magic. Either way, they would all be the same age, and she doubted that children were allowed to go around cursing each other before even going to school, so they would all be on the same level. She had a chance to rise to the top and prove to everyone that her parents were and still are proud of her, even if they aren’t alive anymore. She could do it. And no one could stop her.


	2. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ria receives her letter and a day in the life of the Dursleys.

For the tenth time that morning Ria had turned her gaze to look out of the window, in search of an owl carrying a letter. She hadn’t known what type of owl it would be, but she guessed either a Tawny owl or a Snowy owl. They were the only breeds she had heard of and read about in school. Letting out a sigh she turned her eyes back to the stove, flicking over the fat sausages that sizzled in the pan, ensuring that they evenly cooked and didn’t burn. She’d catch hell for it if they did. The other pan resting on the hob was filled with bacon slices, and checking to see that they were almost done, Ria placed four slices of bread inside the toaster. Reaching into the highest cupboard, Ria had to stand on her tiptoes to pick up three large plates to serve up the breakfast.

Uncle Vernon and her cousin Dudley would both have large portions. They would scream at her if she even dared to put less than usual on the plate, Dudley, according to her Aunt Petunia, was a growing boy and needed feeding up. According to Ria, her cousin was very, very large. Too large. In fact, he looked like the picture inside of a book she had once read about childhood morbid obesity. They would have a full packet of bacon between them, along with six sausage links each, two fried eggs, multiple slices of toast, hash browns and beans. In comparison her Aunt Petunia would have a single egg, poached, and two pieces of buttered toast.

Ria wasn’t allowed to eat with them. She had to cook the breakfast and then serve it to her family, and wait while they ate to see if they needed or wanted anything else. Once they had eaten, Ria would clear the table and eat her own slice of toast in the kitchen before hurrying to wash the dishes before having to prepare for school. In the summer the routine was the same, except instead of going to school she had to complete a long list of chores before helping her aunt to make the dinner.

Ria didn’t like to do the chores, mainly because of how tedious they were to complete day in and day out, but it did give her a chance to spend time away from the Dursleys. Her aunt would rarely check in on her, unless she was doing gardening, particularly weeding and pruning. But that was only because she wanted to make it seem like doing the chores was a choice Ria had made to the neighbours. She liked the free time. To Ria, it was time to think about all the possibilities that would come when she got her Hogwarts letter and would finally be leaving the Dursleys for nearly a whole year.

A loud stomping noise that gently shook the house echoed, signifying her cousin Dudley had woke up and was heading down the stairs for food. Quickly buttering the toast and adding more bread into the toaster she plated up the food that could easily feed two or three people, but was in fact just one portion. Placing it at the head of the table, Ria poured a large glass of fresh orange juice that she had been forced to squeeze that morning, and placed it on the table, along with the jug. As she moved back towards the stove to continue cooking Uncle Vernon’s food, knowing that he’d make his way downstairs shortly. And sure enough she was correct.

“Comb that hair girl!” Came the same greeting she had received daily for the past few years.

“Yes uncle Vernon,” she replied with a slight hint of sarcasm. It was common knowledge that no matter what was done to her hair, no matter how many products used on it or ridiculous haircuts she was given, it still continued to grow outwards and was perpetually messy. Like an untameable force, her hair refused to do as it should, according to the Dursleys. She had no control over it, it was hair. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She had managed to make it all grow back into long locks that one time her aunt had basically sheered it all off. But she had pride! There had been no way she was going to allow the other children in the neighbourhood another reason to pick on and bully her.

“Was that sarcasm girl? You know what happens when you cheek us, especially with how well we’ve provided for you. And out of our own pockets you ungrateful child.” Her uncle had turned red in the face, resembling a beetroot, as he fumed and ranted about Ria and her attitude. She carefully rolled her eyes as she turned away from the family, she knew how much trouble she would get into if they had caught that subtle act of rebellion. They hadn’t realised how rebellious Ria could be. To her family, she was too scared of them and the repercussions and the possible punishments that would come from going against their many strict rules. What they didn’t know was that she had been doing just that ever since she had found out about the world of magic and her position in that world.

Ria had spent the past few years watching her family closely. She learnt their routines and planned around them. She knew that her aunt would be in bed for exactly ten o’clock each evening, and her uncle would join her after he had watched the evening news, so that he had a chance to complain, and had finished his customary glass of brandy. Then he would lumber up the stairs to join his wife and check in on his son. Ria would wait for a further thirty minutes, to ensure they were actually asleep, before making her move. She would focus her mind completely on her door, waiting for the tell-tale click as it unlocked itself, with help from her magic the door would swing open silently allowing her to escape. She would creep into the kitchen and allow her magic to twist and turn, releasing it into the air. It would pull and tug at the cupboard doors, allowing her to sneak out some of the food that she knew her aunt wouldn’t notice going missing. And then she would take it back up to her room, her magic would lock the door behind her to look as if she had never left, and then she would feast on her spoils.

She had been able to do this since she had started to read her father’s books, he kept a very detailed journal on how he ‘trained’ his magic and helped to enhance it. He mentioned how people thought he was a slacker, but she thought he seemed rather powerful, and very interested in utilising his magic and pushing it to find out his limits. Her dad seemed creative about his magic, trying out all sorts of new things and not just sticking to his spell books and the rules inside, but attempting different methods and ways of using his magic. He had continuously mentioned inside of his journals how important ‘intent’ was when using magic that it basically was the most important thing to learn when it came to magic. If you didn’t have any intent when doing something, whether it be casting spells or making potions, then you wouldn’t have much success.

In comparison, her mother was the complete opposite of her father. She was very by the book and there were few annotations upon her textbooks, except for explanations of how to pronounce spells correctly, or the exact state a potion should look like at specific points through the process. She seemed to not care to learn more about the possibilities of what would happen if you just slightly changed something in a recipe or in the way you cast a spell.

Her mother was stern and by the books, following in the path laid out before her with no deviations, and her father was creative, carefully careless and forged his own path in life, from what she could tell. In a way, she could tell how opposites would attract. At the same time she couldn’t understand how her father wished to be with someone so strict that always followed the rules. Rules were meant to be bent and tested to their limits. You need to find out your own limitations, stretch your boundaries and in the end, work out what kind of person you actually are. And you can’t do that if all you do is follow the rules and regulations laid out before you to the exact letter. There had to be some creativity involved in magic, to be able to make your own spells. Yes, intelligence is needed. But a mind filled with creativity and imagination is even more so important. The ability to think for yourself was a key skill that was overlooked by the ability to do as you’re told, something that Ria had found she wasn’t very good at. She was adventurous, and if the journals her father had kept were anything to go by, she knew who she had got that skill from.

With a sigh, Ria headed towards the door to pick up the post as she heard the clatter of the letterbox. She didn’t plan on getting hit with Dudley’s long and knobbly walking stick that had been provided as part of his uniform for the private school he’d be going to at the beginning of the academic year, Smelting’s. Uncle Vernon had gone there when he was younger, and insisted that Dudley would too. Although Aunt Petunia had been beside herself at the thought of Dudley going to a boarding school and being away from her for the year. But Uncle Vernon had insisted upon it. Ria however would be going to a local secondary school, St. Genevieve’s School for Girls. Or that’s what the Dursleys thought. Ria had no intention of even stepping foot in that school, she knew her letter was on its way. She just had to be patient.

Scooping up the letters she flicked through them quickly, just to check whether anything would be putting her uncle in a bad mood after. There were two bills, electricity and gas, along with a postcard from the Isle of Wight. That one was clearly from Marge Ria thought with a grimace, she couldn’t stand that woman, or her dog Ripper. In some ways, she was crueller than her brother. And lastly, was a thick envelope made of heavy and expensive parchment. Inked in a vibrant emerald green was a very specific address.

_Ms H. Potter_

_The Smallest Bedroom_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

Ria couldn’t believe it. She had spent all morning watching out of the window for an owl like her father had mentioned in one of his journals, only for it to come in the post like normal Muggle post. Then again when she thought about it, an owl flying around Surrey with a letter attached to its leg wasn’t very inconspicuous. But she just couldn’t believe that was their way of sending her such an important letter. It could have been lost in the Royal Mail service, or sent to the wrong address. Unless the headmaster at Hogwarts sent it directly to the house, which seeing the address would have been pretty obvious a choice.

Turning the envelope over, she had a clear view of the Hogwarts Crest. The same one that her father had drawn in his journal and must have enchanted, because the banner swayed and the little animals moved. The lion for Gryffindor roared and shook its mane. The eagle for Ravenclaw flapped its wings gently while the Hufflepuff badger rose up onto its hind legs before falling back to all fours. And lastly, the snake of Slytherin, it hissed and flicked its forked tongue, curling up into coils before unfurling itself. While the drawing her father had done was in the house colours, this one was a dark shade of red due to the wax it had been stamped in.

She was so excited to open it, but she knew that if the Dursleys noticed even a slight change in her expression or emotions, then they would clock on and start asking questions. She couldn’t have that. If they knew, then she would never be able to go to Hogwarts. And the letter not being delivered via owl had disrupted her plans. Originally she was going to send her reply back with original owl that delivered it. But now, she didn’t know how she was going to send her reply back.

“Hurry up girl! I need to see those letters before I go to work.” Uncle Vernon yelled from the kitchen, she could tell he was getting aggravated, so she hurriedly moved towards the kitchen, slipping the letter under the clock on the mantelpiece that she was to clean off after breakfast had finished.

“This is all of the post Uncle Vernon,” she told him calmly, placing it on the table next to his plate before moving back towards the stove at the sharp glare from her aunt. Vernon snorted, picking up the letters and fumbling through them with his large fingers he tossed the bills back on the table and picked up the postcard from his sister, flipping it over to reveal clumsy handwriting.

“Marge is ill, ate a funny whelk.” He spoke firmly with a shake of his head. Setting the bills on the countertop he stood and made his way to the front door, kissing Aunt Petunia goodbye and patting Dudley firmly on the shoulder. Petunia followed him to the door, and after Dudley had eaten everything that was edible at the table he stood and lumbered into the living room and Ria could hear the television come on moments later.

Quickly moving forward she began to clean off the table and place the dishes into the sink that she had filled with fresh hot water and washing liquid. She washed the dishes and moved them to rest upright on the draining board before letting the water out and wiping the table clean. She needed to get that letter back and think of a plan to send of her reply to the sender. And she had to open it too. She wondered if there was any differences between her school supply list and the books her father had needed, although the ones she had been left was primarily journals made up of notes from all seven years at Hogwarts. It helped at ensuring she was prepared with at least the basics of all seven years though.

It had also given her a basic understanding as to what her extra ability was. Not all witches and wizards had them, but she did. She could communicate with snakes and other serpent like creatures. She hadn’t found out if that meant she would have a basic understanding of dragons too, but she was very eager to find out. She hadn’t even seen a snake before, until she had gone to the zoo for Dudley’s eleventh birthday because Mrs Figg, from down the road, couldn’t look after her due to breaking her leg tripping over one of her cats and then she fell down the stairs.

The snake had been a large and intimidating looking boa constrictor that would have originated from Brazil, if it hadn’t been bred in captivity. She had been having a perfectly polite conversation with the snake, who had shared its dreams of visiting Brazil one day and how she was considered a Parselmouth, as she was able to speak Parseltongue. The language of snakes. Apparently it was a rare ability that usually descended from the Slytherin family, a hereditary thing, but did sometimes crop up in other families, usually pureblood ones. It was similar to the Metamorphmagi gene that occasionally cropped up in primarily pureblood and sometimes half-blood families. However it was an extremely rare gift, one that Ria wished she had on multiple occasions.

Either way, she had been having a wonderful conversation with the boa, and then she had been interrupted. Dudley had appeared at the call of his best friend Piers who had accompanied them on the trip to the zoo at Dudley’s request. He had knocked into her and sent her flying into the wall, which she promptly smashed her head against by accident. She wasn’t exactly sure as to what happened next. All she knew was that the glass disappeared. It didn’t shatter or smash, it vanished. The snake had taken the chance to escape from the open tank and made his way out of the reptile house with a message of thanks towards Ria, who lay stunned on the floor.

She knew after that, that there was no way she wouldn’t be accepted into Hogwarts. Her ability alone was rare, and vanishing something like a full pane of glass took power, and it wasn’t taught until much later in her schooling. And seeing as she had taken part in no formal magical schooling like most purebloods who were taught simple things before they started Hogwarts, it just made it clearer that she held magic that was stronger than expected. Not that she cared. She could learn to coach her magic herself and make it stronger without it being naturally strong. But it did help her. She knew that with the correct methods of training she could surpass expectations and easily be at the same level as purebloods that had already trained and learnt how their magic worked. She wouldn’t be behind for much longer. She would push herself. She was determined that she wouldn’t be a slacker when she reached Hogwarts, no, she would take her education seriously. But not too seriously. She could still have fun. Just like her father had.

“Girl, why haven’t you started cleaning the living room yet?” Petunia called from the room in question, where she was fussing over Dudley, asking him if he was hungry when he had only just finished breakfast. Ria rolled her eyes and picked up the cloth and spray from under the sink and headed into the room, intent on getting her letter out of the room and into her bedroom as inconspicuously as possible.

“I’m coming Aunt Petunia,” she sighed and walking into the living room, heading straight for the mantelpiece. Polish in hand she began to clean each individual ornament and vase under the watchful eye of her aunt. After a few minutes of watching, ensuring that Ria didn’t break anything and was correctly cleaning, her aunt stood and smoothed out her skirt with a sniff.

“I have to go to the shops to collect some groceries. Dudley, would you like to come? I’ll get you some sweets poppet.” She coaxed him with her briberies, like usual. Dudley nodded and with a large amount of struggle, managed to get up from the chair and headed off to the hallway to put on some shoes. Petunia followed, but not without giving a Ria a stern warning beforehand.

“I swear, if the house is not spotless when we get back, there will be consequences. I will inform your uncle of your disobedience too. Now get back to work, the place won’t clean itself. And don’t forget to put the crockery away, it’s expensive.” She left with a final critical glance at Ria, making sure she understood how severe the situation was before heading out the door after Dudley, the door slamming behind them.

“Yes ma’am,” Ria muttered under her breath heading towards the window. Peering out and noticing her aunt and cousin had made it to the bottom of the street, she let out a grin and a whoop of laughter. Heading towards the mantelpiece she picked up the clock and lifted the letter out from underneath, wiping off the dust. She quickly ran back upstairs and placed the letter under her pillow, promising to read it once she had finished her cleaning.

An hour later Ria had ensured the house had been cleaned from top to bottom and was putting the dishes back into the cupboard when the door opened and her aunt and cousin walked in. her aunt was carrying two bags filled with shopping while her cousin clutched onto a bag of sweets and an ice cream that he had probably begged his mum for. Heading towards them, Petunia thrusted the bags into her hands and headed into the living room to rest, Dudley following behind her. Ria didn’t even pause as she turned back around and headed into the kitchen, resting the bags on the table she began to put the groceries away and into their correct areas of storage.

Knowing her aunt as well as she did, Ria prepared a pot of tea. Filling a small jug of milk and placing some sugar cubes in a little pot with a miniature pair of tongs, she put them both on a tea tray along with a teacup and saucer and the pot of tea once it had boiled and stewed for a few minutes. Carefully grasping the tray handles Ria made her way into the living room and placed the tray on the small coffee table in front of her aunt who was flicking through some glossy magazines. At her aunts’ nod, she poured the tea into the mug and added a dash of milk and a sugar cube before handing the cup and saucer to her aunt along with a teaspoon.

“Aunt Petunia. I’ve finished the cleaning and put away the groceries. May I go up to my room please?” While most parents would let their children do what they like, Petunia want her parent and she made sure that Ria knew she was different to everyone else. She had to ask to do anything, and that included going to her room. Although most people would of thought that with the way her family hated and resented her, they would have wanted her to spend as much time in her room and as far away from her family as possible. But apparently not.

“Fine. But don’t make any noise and you best be down here to help me make lunch and start preparing for dinner at twelve o’clock sharpish.” Petunia was clasping her cup in one hand with her little finger pointed out and her other hand held the saucer beneath it. Her lips were pursed as she looked at her niece before going back to the magazine in her lap, clearly dismissing her.

Ria nodded and made her way out of the room and up the stairs quietly, she didn’t want to seem excited and bring any unneeded attention to herself. She needed to get to her room and read the letter that had been waiting for her all morning. It was finally her time to escape the Dursleys and their hellish lifestyle. Shutting the door behind her Ria threw herself onto the mattress and the faded discoloured blanket. Reaching a hand under the pillow she grasped the heavy letter and pulled it out from its hiding place.

Breathing deeply, she reaches out with trembling fingers and pulls the envelope open. Tugging out the multiple pages of thick cream parchment with the same emerald green ink used. The handwriting was neat and feminine, as shown by the signature at the bottom. Ria was so happy. Smoothing out the two pages she read them slowly, even though she knew what they were going to say in the end. It was still the most exciting experience she had ever had.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceror, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards.)_

_Dear Ms Potter_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

It was short and to the point. And Ria had to try so hard to contain her squeal of glee. Finally the day had come, and she would be going to Hogwarts in almost exactly one month. She couldn’t wait. Gently placing the piece of parchment on top of her pillow she looked down at the second piece, preparing herself to find out what she would need for her first year of schooling. She knew that she had enough money in her trust fund alone to pay for all of her supplies for the following seven years of education, and hopefully longer if the bank her father had mentioned, Gringotts, placed interest upon the funds. Either way, it wasn’t as important as finding out what she actually needed.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM:_

_First year students will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupil’s clothes should carry name tags._

_COURSE BOOKS:_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT:_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set of glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set of brass scales._

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl, OR, a cat, OR, a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

Some of the books were the same as the ones her parents had also used, but most of them were different, she supposed that there had been changes in the past twenty years since they had been first years. But she knew that she would have to go to Diagon Alley like her father had wrote about and buy her things. She would work on how she was going to do that after she sorted out how to reply to her Deputy Headmistress. She highly doubted a late reply would get her into any good books.

Thinking hard about it Ria started to pen her letter of reply with her neatest and most careful handwriting on some of her best paper. She had taken it from her aunts fancy stationery set that she used when writing invites for dinner parties to Uncle Vernon’s colleagues and bosses.

_Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,_

_I would very much so like to accept your invitation of learning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_However, as my family are muggles and do not agree with the ideals of magic, I find that I may experience trouble with accomplishing this. I would also need help with procuring my school supplies as my family would refuse to allow me this opportunity due to their disdain towards magic. Would it at all be possible to have a guide sent to help me?_

_Many thanks,_

_Hana-Hesperia Potter_

With a slight flourish Ria signed of her name at the end and gazed over it with a critical eye before nodding with pride. She had managed to appear cordial and happy with being given the opportunity to learn magic, and at the same time she had been polite. She made a note to herself that when she went to Diagon Alley she would need to pick up some books on proper pureblood etiquette so that she could learn the best way to act and communicate with others. She didn’t want to accidentally offend anyone.

Thinking carefully, Ria allowed tendrils of her magic to carefully wrap around and coat the letter she had written. With her thought solely focused on it arriving at Hogwarts, specifically the office of Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, the letter began to fade until it had fully disappeared. It wasn’t the first time she had made something disappear like that, and she knew it would make it to where it was supposed to go. With a smile, she looked over her list sent from Hogwarts, and on a second piece of paper began to compile another list of things that she felt she would need when she made it to Hogwarts in September.

She was determined to make her parents, her father in particular proud, and if that meant she had to educate herself on the customs of the Wizarding world, then that was what she would do. It was a good thing that she enjoyed reading, because there was no way she was going to let them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the second chapter which I finished much quicker than I expected to. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.


	3. The Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a filler chapter.   
> But it's a 5000+ word filler.   
> So there is that.  
> So basically this has a bit of communication involved between McGonagall and Ria.

The scratching and scribbling of a quill against the rough surface of parchment broke through the silence of the small office. A slight crackle could be heard as the fireplace roared and the flames flickers, casting shadows against the walls creating an eerie affect around the room. A Scottish shield hung strong and clear above the stone fireplace directly opposite a large desk made of dark wood. Rolls of parchment were stacked across the desk, each individually tied with a vibrant green tartan ribbon. Sat behind the desk in a tall backed chair was a woman, she was older in age, her face showing clear signs of gentle and graceful aging. Her hair was mainly streaked with a variety of grey shades, the rest, a light shade of faded brown. A pair of silver framed glasses rested upon her nose as she looked down at the multitude of letters that had been dropped off that day by owls from prospective students.

Professor Minerva McGonagall was her name, and as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it was up to her to collect and sift through all of the letters sent from the new students planning to start their first year that following September. She had to ensure that each muggle born student had a fellow Professor or a Ministry employee, usually a fellow muggle born, sent to their home to escort them to Diagon Alley after explaining their heritage and the ways of the Wizarding World.

McGonagall was never stressed during the Hogwarts intake time. But this year was different. This year she had been waiting for a reply from a child that she hadn’t seen for almost ten years. A child that she had once sat on her knee and told her stories of the Scottish warriors that had once ruled her homeland many years ago. A child that would giggle with excitement every time she would transform into her animagus form of a tabby cat, before gently tugging on her pointy ears. Hana-Hesperia Potter was the daughter of possibly, her two favourite students, James Potter and Lily Potter, nee Evans. As such, she spent a lot of time with the little girl, visiting the family often before they had to go into hiding a year after Ria’s birth.

Minerva had been waiting for this moment for years, the chance to finally see Ria again. She couldn’t wait to see how much she had grown and evolved, and to see how much she had taken after her parents and in what way. Before taking her to those _people_ Ria had the brightest pair of green eyes and little tufts of dark brown, almost black hair. A brilliant mix of both of her parents. Obviously, Minerva wouldn’t be able to show any form of favouritism, but she would be able to watch over her and ensure her safety. Not that she would need to hopefully.

But still, she wondered whether Ria would take after both her parents, and be sorted into Gryffindor. Or would she forge herself a new path and fin d herself a home in a new house. As much as she would be proud of Ria being in any house, she couldn’t hide the fact that she hoped for Ria to be in Gryffindor, her house where she could keep a closer eye on her. But she was getting ahead of herself, she hadn’t even received a letter of reply from the Dursleys to approve her placement yet. Not that she would let it stop her. If it came down to it, then Minerva herself would be making a special little visit to Surrey where she would be giving them a stern talking to.

Minerva stiffened slightly as she felt a slight tingling around the room, almost like the protective wards that encircled Hogwarts were reacting to something and allowing it entry into the school itself. And that put her on edge. Before she could react, a piece of high quality and expensive paper seemed to float down from out of nowhere and onto the desk. What seemed to be invisible tendrils of magic released the paper and allowed it to settle on the desk. Gazing down at the snow white paper, it looked harmless, but Minerva new that looks could be deceiving. And so she cast a few silent and non-verbal spells upon the paper to check whether there was anything harmful attached to the paper. Nothing showed up, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything harmful about it, it just meant that it wasn’t showing up. So she still needed to be careful.

Picking up a quill, she pulled the paper closer and peered down at what she realised was a letter. The penmanship was elegant and delicate, for what she thought was possibly a child. And then her eyes honed in on the signature and she gasped, clasping her hands over her heart. It was from Ria. Going back to the top of the letter she read through it thoroughly, ensuring that each word and every sentence was imprinted into her head.

Hinting at her family’s disdain towards magic showed that she had been told of magic, but it hadn’t been explained to her and if it had, it hadn’t been in a positive light most likely. She needed to be taught magic, and Ria agreed with that. She was reaching out for help to make sure she could gain the chance to study her magic and to push it to limits she had never thought possible for her. And there was no way Minerva McGonagall was going to ever allow for her to not receive that chance. And she knew just what to do. But first, she had to stave off any of Ria’s concerns.

With that she flicked her wrist pointedly and allowed a roll of parchment to land carefully in her palm. Grasping her eagle feather quill she dipped the nib into a pot of her signature emerald green ink and hesitated for a second before placing the nib onto the parchment and allowing the words to flow as her hand moved quickly across the parchment, ensuring that her writing was legible for the young girl that she thought of as her granddaughter. In the back of her head as she wrote, she wondered how in the world Ria had managed to almost apparate her letter all the way to Hogwarts without any form of magical training. But that was something she would have to bring up with Albus in their next meeting, whether it be formal or informal. It needed to be discussed.

Allowing the ink to dry for a few minutes she rose from her seat and tied the parchment into a small roll with a coil of her signature tartan ribbon wrapped around it in a delicate bow. As she left her office and headed towards the owlery, she knew exactly who she was going to be sending to Ria the next morning to introduce her to the world of Magic as a whole. And she knew that they wouldn’t let her down.

* * *

 

Ria had been waiting all afternoon for a reply. She had helped her aunt make lunch, and had even begun to prepare for dinner and still hadn’t received a reply. She was slightly panicked that the owl would fly into the house during dinner, and she didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of that at all. She had hoped it would arrive in time for her to be able to sneak the reply upstairs without her aunt and uncle realising. She didn’t have to worry about Dudley, she could open and read it in front of him, and he still wouldn’t have noticed that she was even reading anything, he was too submerged in his television programmes. But her aunt and uncle however, they were more observant, especially when it came to Ria. They had spent the last ten years of her life focusing on every single problem and imperfection they could pick out, aiming to bring her down through her emotions. She wasn’t going to let them though, she could hide and mask her emotions very well, and had been doing so for so long.

That was when she saw it. The flutter of tawny wings heading towards the house, and luckily for her, towards her bedroom upstairs. Thankfully, Ria had left her window open in hopes of an owl turning up, she was prepared for the reply, but not knowing when it would turn up had set her on edge. She liked to plan things and she liked to have a schedule. It made doing things that she shouldn’t be doing a lot easier and there was less pressure attached.

“Girl, where is the dinner? Your uncle will be home in under ten minutes and you know he likes dinner to be ready for him when he gets in.” Aunt Petunia practically screeched as she came into the kitchen and didn’t see the plates laid out and ready to be filled.

“They’re warming in the oven Aunt Petunia. I didn’t want the food to go cold, but it’s ready. So I’ve placed the plates in the oven to warm slightly so that the food stays hot,” She explained slightly trying not to sound as exasperated as she felt on the inside. There wasn’t much else she could do, her uncle had called to say that he would be slightly later than usual, and as such the dinner could have been spoiled, so there wasn’t much she could do to save the food. Petunia knew that she had no other choice, but she still pursed her lips and looked at her niece with distaste.

“Well, it better not be cold or spoiled.” Was her last words before she turned and stalked out of the kitchen in her dress and kitten heels, and headed into the living room where she began to fawn over Dudley once again. Rolling her eyes, Ria turned back to the oven and made sure that the temperature was high enough to keep the plated up food hot, without breaking the delicate china plates.

Hearing the door handle rattle slightly, Ria knew that her uncle was home and would be expecting dinner to be on the table. Hurrying slightly she pulled open the oven door and took out the two plates that had the largest potions of the shepherd’s pie she had painstakingly made that afternoon, and placed one at the head of the table and the other to the left of it, where Dudley sat. taking out another plate with a smaller and more manageable portion she placed it to the right of where she knew her uncle would sit, opposite of Dudley.

Moving back to the oven she closed the door and began to fill up the sink with warm water and washing liquid so that she could soak the pots and pans, which would make it easier for her to clean later. She didn’t want to have to spend ages cleaning up after her family later on, she wanted to be able to go up to her room and read the letter that she _knew_ was from Professor McGonagall. She wanted to know what would be happening with her trip to Diagon Alley, and hopefully that trip would be happening the next morning. She couldn’t wait to see her aunt and uncles reactions when they found out that she knew about magic, and would be delving into the world of magic.

“Dinner smells lovely Petunia darling, you must have spent ages making this.” Uncle Vernon was talking to her aunt, even though he knew that it was probably Ria that had actually done all the work when it came to making the dinner. He liked to pretend that she didn’t exist, and therefore the work that she had clearly done, was considered to be done by Petunia to him.

“Oh, it wasn’t that hard dear. You know that I love to cook for our family and provide for us in any way I as a woman can,” she simpered, refusing to acknowledge the fact that they both knew she had done none of the cooking that day, or any day really. Petunia was one of those women who believed that it was the husbands’ job to provide for the family financially, and the wife’s job was to care for the family and the family home. Basically, she expected every woman to be a perfect little housewife, something that Ria did not agree with. She knew that when she was older she would be a career woman. She had intelligence, there was no way she was going to give up the possibility of a high class career to just stay at home and take care of the home. That wasn’t what she was made for, and she was prepared to do whatever she had to, to make her dreams come true.

“Dudley, darling. Dinner is ready sweetums, and there’s a beautiful dessert sweetie, mummy went and got us a gorgeous chocolate cake with whipped cream for us.” Petunia had to coax him out of his chair and even then he seems to be angry as he stormed towards the dinner table, causing tremors to erupt with his every step. As he sat down, the chair creaked in protest and Ria winced slightly, that poor chair.

“Dudley is a growing boy, he needs his sustenance.” Uncle Vernon grumbled as he too took his place at the head of the table, Petunia joined him at his side and they proceeded to tuck into the food that Ria had slaved over all afternoon but Petunia had taken credit for.

“Girl, get me a brandy. To think that we let you stay in this house and expect nothing in return, and yet you just stand there and offer nothing.” He grumbled under his breath and Petunia hummed in agreement. Ria rolled her eyes and moved towards the tallest cabinet, reaching in she pulled out the glass bottle of brandy and the clean tumbler that sat next to the bottle. She made sure to pour a generous amount into the glass, knowing that her uncle would complain if she was stingy on the pouring. Screwed the top back on the bottle she took the glass over to her uncle at the dinner table and placed it in front of him, receiving only a grumble in response.

Clearly irritated with her presence in the room, Vernon barked at her to leave the kitchen and go up to her room. Only to come back down when they were finished with dinner and she was needed to clean up after them. Heading up the stairs, she made sure to step lightly, knowing that they creaked if you walked too heavy on them, and she didn’t want to bring any more attention to herself, knowing that her aunt and uncle would hound her for information if they felt she was hiding something.

Slipping into her room, she headed straight towards the tawny owl that sat perched on top of the battered and broken wardrobe. With a soft smile she let out a light whistle causing the bird to perk up slightly and fly down to meet her as she moved towards the mattress on the floor.

“Hi there feathery one, so have you got something for me?” To some it would seem weird that she was asking an owl a question, but for her, she adored animals and felt like they should be treated humanely and like they actually had a mind of their own. She knew they did, just look at the snakes she spoke to and had conversations with. Letting out a quiet hoot, the owl brushed its beak against her cheek before sticking his leg out towards her.

“Why thank you sweetie,” she reached out and gently tugged of the string attaching a roll of parchment to his leg. Pulling the parchment towards her she noted that the roll was held together with a green tartan ribbon that had been tied into a perfect bow.

“Well thank you, are you going to be staying with me so that I can send of a reply?” She asked softly, the owl hooted and moved its head in an upwards movement, nodding to her. Ria smiled and stroked her head before turning her attention back to the letter. Pulling off the ribbon she placed it beside her on the mattress and unfurled the parchment to read it.

_Dear Miss Hesperia Potter_

_I’m glad to receive your acceptance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn and enhance the craft that is known as magic, along with embracing your heritage._

_Due to the trouble with your remaining family and collecting the supplies you will need for your schooling, I have arranged for a fellow member of staff to collect you tomorrow morning at ten o’clock and take you to Diagon Alley. This member of staff will also be giving you the key to your vault in Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank, as the Headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, has been keeping it safe for you under the wishes of your parents._

_I truly look forward to seeing you on September 3 rd and hope that the rest of your summer is well. I’m sure that you will enjoy yourself once you reach Hogwarts, just as much as your parents did during their time. _

_Many thanks,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Ria grinned, she would be able to go to Hogwarts, not that she would have let her aunt and uncle stop her. But now she could go without them even attempting to stop her, she would have the protection of a Hogwarts member of staff when she finally told them that she knew she was a witch and would be going to Hogwarts. Plus, she would now be in charge of her vault key, meaning that she could go ahead and exchange some of her money for muggle pounds. That meant that she could buy herself a new wardrobe to take with her to Hogwarts, it would stop her from looking like a second hand train wreck like she did now in her charity shop clothes. Not that she wasn’t thankful for Delia allowing her to work in exchange for the clothes. But for once, she would have clothes that had never been anyone else’s, clothes that she had owned first.

She was excited to meet the professor that would be escorting her around Diagon Alley in the morning, and she had a long list of questions to ask them, not just about magic itself but about her history and her parents. She also wanted to gain more knowledge about the multitude of subjects she would be taking when she got to Hogwarts in September. A bit of insider knowledge never hurt anyone, but it did give her the upper edge over everyone else. She was fine with that. To be powerful and influential in the world, you need to have knowledge on everything, at least enough to get you by without looking like you haven’t done your research.

For Ria, she knew that if she could get some information from her escort, she could do some extra research to make sure that she understood some of the topics that would be studied throughout the year. And if she already understood the topics then she would have to do less research while she was at Hogwarts, meaning she would have more time to take on some extra research tasks from her professors on her different subjects. Ria knew that would help her in the future if she had knowledge on areas that they weren’t taught during class. It would give her the foot up on anyway in the future.

Looking through her father’s notebooks had already given her so many extra topic ideas, and Ria knew that no matter what, she would most definitely be looking into the idea of transitioning into an animagus as soon as she was able to handle the transformation. She knew it would take a few more years, but she could complete some extensive research during that time. The topic of animagi fascinated her and she knew that it would keep her attention for a long time, and it would also make her feel closer to her father at the same time. But she had also had her attention grabbed by the above N.E.W.T level topic of spell creation. Her mother had kept a small diary on the subject. She had started to learn about it once she had left Hogwarts, and had clearly found it interesting as she had referenced multiple books on the subject, books that Ria had every intention of ordering once she reached Hogwarts.

In the end, once Ria reached Hogwarts, there would be nobody left to hold her back from achieving the level of academic achievement she knew that she was able to reach. She had always been forced to hold back her academic prowess by the Dursleys. They couldn’t have it be common knowledge that she was smarter than their precious son who could barely think for himself let alone apply his thoughts to questions. Ria hated being forced to hold back her knowledge more than she hated having to live with the Dursleys and serving them. She used to have nightmares about her ability to think and apply her wide range of knowledge to practical situations being stunted. That was before she was old enough to teach herself what she felt was important. When she made it to Hogwarts, she would be able to release the _real_ Ria for the world to see.

A slight nudge against her hand brought Ria out of her thoughts, looking down she noticed the tawny owl that had delivered the letter was waiting patiently for her to write out a reply for him to return.

“Sorry, I was in my own little world, let me just write out a quick reply and then you can fly off and have some freedom. How’s that sound to you?” She asked moving over to the wardrobe and pulling out a small cardboard box that held a collection of expensive stationary she had collected and been given by Delia at some point. To her, this was what she treasured the most in the world alongside her father’s journals and textbooks. Picking out a thick page of bright white paper and a black ink filled fountain pen she settled down on her mattress and rested the paper on her father’s journal to help ensure her writing was steady and neat.

_Professor McGonagall,_

_Thank you very much for ensuring that I have an escort to take me to Diagon Alley to collect my school supplies, I truly appreciate this gesture._

_I hope that the professor you have chosen is not put out with having to take time off to escort me on this trip, as I do not want to cause any problems between the staff._

_I too am excited to meet you and become part of the life at Hogwarts._

_Thank you for all of your help,_

_Ria Potter_

Double checking her spelling and grammar, and making sure that the whole letter looked complete and neat, she hesitantly folded the paper and slipped it inside of a crisp white envelope that she used her calligraphy training to write _Deputy Headmistress_ upon the front, knowing that first impressions meant everything when it came down to it. Reaching deeper into the cardboard box she pulled out a roll of light green ribbon that she had found in a craft store on sale. It was an almost identical match to the colour of her eyes, and as such she had scraped together some money doing odd jobs around the town to help pay for it and some other pieces of stationery. Cutting off a long enough piece she tied it around the envelope and around the owls foot, making sure that it looked and felt comfortable for the owl. She didn’t want it to be in pain, the poor thing had to travel a long way to Hogwarts just to drop of that one letter.

“There you go sweetie, if you could take this to Professor McGonagall for me I’d be ever so thankful. But don’t you rush yourself, you can take as much time as you need.” She murmured to the beautiful owl as she placed a gentle kiss upon its head before moving away, allowing it to take flight and swoop out of the open window and into the sky. Ria watched as it flew higher and farther away before slowly fading into the distance. And that’s when she was taken out of her thoughts by an angry bellow.

“Girl! Where are you? This table should have been cleaned off minutes ago, and to think that we provide for you!” Uncle Vernon roared from the bottom of the stairs causing Ria to jump slightly in surprise. She had completely forgotten about having to clean of the table, but she had been so immersed in her thoughts of finally going to Hogwarts, and that was not a good thing. She knew that her uncle could get angry when it came down to her not completing her chores, especially when he had been drinking, and she knew that he had probably had more to drink than the one glass she had poured for him earlier.

“I’m coming uncle Vernon, I was cleaning the bathroom, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” She hurried out the apology and thinking up an excuse quickly, knowing that it would pull through as she had cleaned the bathroom the day before and it hadn’t been messed up as of yet.

“Well, hurry up and clean this mess up and then go back upstairs. I don’t want to have to see you again this evening.” He was still clearly angry, but the thought of Ria cleaning and not just lazing around clearly made him feel slightly less angry. Knowing that it had been a close call Ria nodded her head before staring at the ground as she ducked around him and into the kitchen, shying away from the angry and disapproving look on her aunts face. Stacking up the dishes she placed them in the sink and started to scrub away at the dishes that had been soaking for a while in the hot soapy water.

As she scrubbed away at the dishes she ignored the fact that her relatives were discussing her loudly and using less than polite terms while doing so. She was used to it already, the angry out loud thinking about her had been happening ever since she had arrived at the Dursley household. Ria didn’t think she had ever heard a positive word from any of her relatives, and that included her ‘Great Aunt’ Marge.

It was a known fact that they had always wished she had been dumped on someone else’s doorstep, and she could swear that when she was five she had heard her uncle trying to persuade her aunt into dropping her off at an orphanage far away from Privet Drive. Her aunt however had some form of common sense, as she had refused, telling him that ‘they’ would find her and take it out on them. Back then she hadn’t known who ‘they’ were, but now she knew that her aunt had been talking about the Wizarding world.

“Why are you so happy? You’re going to that all girl school in September, I get to go to dads private school, they only accept the best of the best.” Came a slow voice from behind her. She knew that Dudley spoke slowly because he could barely articulate his words, so he had to slow it down so that he could understand himself. It made Ria shudder to think that one day he could possibly be running a business as Vernon had decided that Grunning’s would take him on as an ‘apprentice’ when he finished school. Meaning that he would be given a job that involved doing barely anything with him earning enough money that he didn’t have to want for anything.

“No Dudley, I didn’t realise that they took in the best of the best. I’m sorry, I should have totally guessed that when they accepted you because of the money your dad gave them.” She drawled with a slightly sarcastic tone to her voice, portraying the image that she didn’t really care. Which was true. But she was slightly intrigued as to why her aunt and uncle actually thought she would be going to that school for girls, surely they knew that a letter from Hogwarts would be arriving, so why were they planning for her to go elsewhere? Not that it mattered in the end, because she was going to Hogwarts. And there was nothing that they could do to stop that from happening. Clearly Dudley didn’t understand what she was talking about, as he stared at her with a blank expression before waddling out of the room and back into the living room where his television programme had been paused for him.

Tomorrow she would be going to the social hub of the British Wizarding World, Diagon Alley. She would finally be given the chance to look at her trust fund and see what her parents had left her in the term of heirlooms. She knew that she had been left a large amount of money, but she was more interested in the possible heirlooms and artefacts that she may have been left by her father. She knew that coming from one of the most pure blood family’s in Britain there had to be some heirlooms left to her. Something that would give her some insight into her ancestry and her family.

Not only that, she would be able to observe what was available in the market and where the gaps were for other ideas. To her it was an appraisal of what she could offer to the Wizarding world once she had completed her training and schooling at Hogwarts. She knew that when she was buying her books she would be picking up a few extras to help her fit in with the Wizarding world better, she knew that at some point in the future, her muggle upbringing would put her at a disadvantage. So the more she researched into the pureblood ways, the more likely she would fit in with the other purebloods. She would never allow herself to be thought of as ignorant to her ancestry and the history of the magical community.

In the end, a lot of things would be expected of Ria when it came down to her personality and her magical ability. But no one could control her. So while she would be aiming higher than any of their expectations, no one would be telling her how to live her life as that was completely under her control and up to her. She would do what she felt she needed to, for her to get the life she wanted and deserved after all these years with the Dursleys. It was her life, and she would do what she needed to do to make it the life she had always dreamed of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you all liked the surprise McGonagall section. This was supposed to be about Ria going to Diagon Alley but clearly that didn't happen. So expect that to happen in the next chapter then, I felt it was getting a bit long so I decided to split it. although, I wasn't all that happy with this chapter as I kind of found that it came out a bit bland. so I aim for the next chapter to be a hell of a lot better.


	4. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone comes to escort Ria on an introduction of the wizarding world...

A loud popping noise stirred and disrupted the peace of Privet Drive early that morning, although it would not be known for a few more minutes. An older woman began to make her way down the street of identical houses, and towards number four. Remembering her colleagues' instructions, she made sure to carefully tuck her wand of ash into her front pocket and cover it with her coat.

Knocking carefully on the door, she stood back, waiting for someone to open it, hoping it was her charge for the day and not one of her guardians. She could barely contain her excitement at being given such a prestigious job as escorting young Hana-Hesperia around Diagon Alley and giving her the first true introduction to their world and magic itself. This was a job that everyone would have jumped at the chance of undertaking, but she had specifically been asked to take the young girl under her wing, and to try and get her up to speed with the other children that she would be joining Hogwarts with.

Knocking a second time, the woman could hear loud footsteps echoing through the house as someone made their way towards the door, yanking it open and gazing irritably down at her. The woman before her had a long neck that was decorated with a string of pearls, matching the ones in her ears, she looked nothing like her sister did. Lily had been a beauty that everyone had acknowledged, in comparison, the woman stood in the doorway resembled more of a harpy.

* * *

 

Petunia Dursley huffed as she made her way to the door after hearing someone knocking repetitively against the glass pane. Primping her hair quickly she pulled open the door with a polite smile painted upon her lips, one that quickly vanished as she gazed upon the person who had dared to knock on their door and tarnish their name and credibility.

The woman had tightly coiled, yet messy honey blond curls that were streaked with the odd piece of grey, a frayed and dirty green hat balanced precariously upon her head, trying to keep the torrent of hair in somewhat of an order. Her face showed her age, mossy green and brown eyes held laughter within them, emphasised by the crows feet surrounding them. She had a smile upon her face and laugh lines made it known that the woman liked to joke and laugh with people.

Petunia wrinkled her nose in disgust as she took in the clothes the woman was wearing, a pair of loose brown trousers with worn and grass stained knees, a woollen dark green knitted jumper and a long brown trench coat that looked rather threadbare. Fingerless gloves revealed dirty and uncared for fingernails, soil coated her jacket, as if it had just been dumped on the ground with no care. Finally, there was a scent of the garden and plant life that surrounded the woman completely, encompassing her.

"May I help you? You must have the wrong house." Petunia sharply stated gazing down upon the woman with an imperious look in her eyes. "My name is Professor Pomona Sprout, I'm here to take young Ria shopping to collect her school supplies." The woman, Pomona Sprout continued to smile at Petunia as if she had no care in the world as to the effect of her words upon the family, and woman before her.

"I don't know what you're talking about, the girl will be attending St. Genevieve's School for Girls come September, and they will be providing us with the equipment she needs." A gentle snort came from behind Petunia, where Ria had carefully hidden herself behind the living room door, allowing her the opportunity to listen in on the conversation.

"I think you'll find Mrs Dursley, that young Ria will in fact be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as of September 1st. I have been made aware of this by the Deputy Headmistress, who received confirmation of her place from Miss Potter herself, and therefore, you have no say in the matter. Miss Potter will be attending Hogwarts, and she will be coming with me shopping today." Her tone of voice left no room for arguments, and Petunia was stood gaping at her like a fish, her mouth open wide and her eyes squinting down at her dangerously.

"How dare you come to my home and threaten myself and my family," Petunia began to hiss like an angry goose, before stopping with a sudden croak as Professor Sprout produced a long wooden stick, a wand from her pocket and began to twist it with her fingers. Her aunt took a shuddering breath before reaching back and grasping the collar of Ria's top in her hand and pulling her forward, thrusting her towards the witch she had been waiting for.

"There, take the girl and bring her back at a reasonable hour. I want nothing to do with her anymore and if she dares to bring her disgusting magic into my house then she will need to leave." With that Petunia went back into the house and slammed the door shut in their faces.

Ria shuffled slightly, before straightening out her clothes and dusting herself off. Turning herself to face the woman who had clearly been sent to escort her around Diagon Alley by Professor McGonagall, Ria smiled politely and held out her hand for the woman to shake.

"I'm sorry for the way she treated you Professor Sprout. I'm Hana-Hesperia, but please feel free to call me Hesperia or Ria." The woman looked down at her with a gentle and motherly smile, before bypassing the handshake and enveloping the girl in a sudden hug.

"Oh, don't worry about it dearie, I'm just so happy to be able to take you to collect your school things, you must have so many questions and I'm sure that I can help you with getting some answers for them. Now firstly, would you prefer to apparate to Diagon Alley, or take the Night Bus?"

The pair shared smiles and headed off towards the end of the street as Ria debated over the options presented to her. She knew that apparating could be rather uncomfortable for her, as was mentioned in one of her father's journals, but she thought that it would be good to learn the basics now, seeing as it was one of the main forms of transport available to the wizarding community. However, she would also love to find out what the Night Bus was, but she had forever to venture down that avenue she theorised.

"Could we try apparating please, it's just that I'm fairly curious to how it all works and I'm sure it would be rather useful to know for later. I have tonnes of questions, and I've compiled a list of extra resources I hope to acquire once we're at Diagon Alley, if you wouldn't mind helping me that is." The beaming smile that Professor Sprout sent her way clearly let her know that she didn't mind being subjected to a mass amount of questions, nor did she mind helping her to advance her knowledge in the area of magic.

"Of course, dearie. Do you have any specific areas of interest, or would you just like to advance your knowledge overall? I myself teach Herbology, which is the study of magical plants if you didn't know. I'm sure we can find what you need, or order in anything that they don't have in store." Pomona Sprout didn't want to admit it, but she had been caught of guard by how much Ria clearly already knew about the world of magic, and she was very curious as to where she had managed to procure some of her information.

"Well, I found some of my fathers' old school textbooks, and he left some really detailed notes about different types of magic that he had learnt over the years. I definitely want to have a look at some cultural books, just to help me reach the same level as those who were raised in the wizarding world, it wouldn't go over well if I didn't know who the latest Minister for Magic was, or who won the last Quidditch World Cup. I also want to look at animagi and different healing plants would be useful too," with that Ria began to mutter a multitude of different ideas under her breath, there were a vast amount of topics she wished to explore, especially now that she had the means to do so.

For Sprout, it was rather refreshing, and yet different to see a student so young that had been raised in the muggle world want to find out about her new culture so much. Then again, Ria was coming back to a world that she had played a major part in creating and shaping, of course she would want to know everything she could about the world that she would be immersing herself in.

Ria had however answered one of Sprouts questions, where she had managed to find out so much about magic whilst living in a completely magic phobic household, her father. Even in his death, James was still providing for his daughter and helping to guide her through life. She shouldn't have been surprised, Sprout herself had been a seventh student when James started his education at Hogwarts, but she could still remember him running around and causing trouble wherever he went. She also knew how detailed he kept his notes, remembering the time he had lost one of his textbooks and she had found it, flickering through it before returning it to him. He had been a very smart student, as had Lilly Evans, they had just been smart in different ways, so it should have been no surprise that their daughter turned out to be so intellectual.

"Right, this is where we should stop and apparate. I need you to hold tightly to my arm dearie, this will be uncomfortable for you I'm afraid, but it should take us directly to Diagon Alley." Pomona Sprout had discussed it with Minerva McGonagall, and they had decided that apparating straight into Diagon Alley and bypassing the Leaky Cauldron would be the best course of plan for Rias first trip. That way they could avoid any fans that would try to stop and delay them from the reason they were travelling to London, they wanted Ria to be able to enjoy a stress-free excursion and to not feel pressured by the more overbearing members of the community that would try to force their presence upon the young girl.

The pair slipped into a small side alley that was used by the butchers to give out scraps to the local stray cats that called Little Whinging their home. Taking a deep breath, Ria grasped Professor Sprouts left arm with her hand, the witch suddenly turned sharply, and they disappeared from the cold and dingy alley with a resounding pop, leaving no trace that they had ever even been there.

* * *

 

Ria let out a gasp as the unwelcome feeling of her internal organs being twisted up inside of her suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a distinct sense of queasiness, something that she had been repaired for, but not expecting to be as bad as it was. She would definitely need more practice when it came to the whole apparating thing, she couldn't be throwing up every time she decided to travel anywhere, that would become highly embarrassing.

"It's okay dearie, take a few deep breaths and you'll begin to feel better. Apparating is a shock to the system the first few times you do it, so don't worry. In fact, I'm surprised you didn't throw up, most do." With a few pats on the back from Professor Sprout, Ria righted herself and brushed of her clothes before nodding in agreement that she was feeling better now that the sickness had past.

"I'm ready to continue Professor Sprout, will we be heading to Gringotts first? I'm rather excited to meet a goblin, they must have such interesting stories when it comes to dealing with customers." Ria peered up at Pomona with her big green eyes, filled with curiosity and ambition, a thirst for knowledge many would call it. Pomona recognised the look as one that Lilly often wore as she sat in the great library of Hogwarts surrounded by a myriad of different books, nose deep in tomes on the obscure and legendary forms of magic and magical creation. It was also a look that James had worn on the odd occasion, usually when he had cooked up some insane prank that would leave people gobsmacked and in awe. It was in that moment, with her wild black ringlets and emerald green eyes, that Pomona Sprout witnessed Ria displaying the one clear of attribute she had received from both of her parents.

"We will be heading to Gringotts first, I have your key here, but I'm sure you're responsible enough to look after it yourself. I'm not too sure whether the goblins will be willing to share any of their secrets with you, but you may be able to ask them for some information regarding their protocols, but they are a very secretive race, so don't be too upset if they don't tell you anything." Pomona didn't want her charge to get her hopes up, she knew that it was highly unlikely that the goblins, being such an untrustworthy race, would be willing to share any information with a young witch.

Handing over the small bronze key that signified everything the young girl had left in the world, Ria grasped it as though it was a lifeline. Moving forward Pomona lead Ria out of the small alley way, which was also the main apparating point for Diagon Alley and into the street. Ria didn't know where to look. There was so much going on that she knew she would need more than one visit to know where everything was. She tried to take everything in as they moved towards the tall white building that signified the middle of Diagon Alley, almost like a roundabout with all different streets leading off from it.

Ria took notice of all the shops, each with a different coloured door and a sign that drew you in, window displays to show of the best products they had to sell. All of the shops seemed to specialise in something specifically relating to a subject at Hogwarts from what she could see, with just a few shops that catered for everyday needs. She couldn't wait to get into the book shop she had seen, Flourish and Blotts, and hopefully Madame Malkins would help to find her a whole new wardrobe, if not she would have to look around down the different side streets, such as Knockturn or Half Alley.

A small crowd in front of one shop drew her towards it, gazing up at the shop sign stating 'Quality Quidditch Supplies' in gold font, she peered over the crowd and managed to spot what they were looking at. A gorgeous, from what she could tell, broomstick, labelled Nimbus 2000, a racing broom. Gazing at the broomstick, it was the first time she had ever wanted something just to own it, and not because she needed it. Ria knew that her father was a part of his houses Quidditch team, and in that moment, she knew that she had to be too, it was clearly her destiny. She had never felt such a longing towards an object before.

"Come along dearie, we need to get your money before you can buy anything. Don't worry, we can come back and have a look around after we've got your school supplies, I promise." Ria had never put much faith in promises after living with the Dursleys for ten years, but the look in Professor Sprouts eyes as she gently placed her hand on Rias shoulder and guided her towards Gringotts gave her the slightest hope that some adults could be trustworthy.

"Of course, Professor I'm sorry for delaying us, school supplies are the important thing on this trip," Ria gazed down at the floor with a despondent look upon her face, feleling guilty for delaying their trip and making Professor Sprout wait for her.

"Nonsense my dear, we all need fun in our lives, and I'm sure once you've had some practice you'll be a daft hand at Quidditch just like your father was. I'm positive he could have gone professional if he hadn't become an Auror instead. Anyway, we're not just here for school supplies, I'm sure you could do with a few new clothes and some extracurricular items." With a slight wink Professor Sprout lead Ria up the white marble stairs and pulled open the heavy wooden doors of Gringotts Bank.

Ria was slightly shocked, her Professor had noticed the state of her clothes and had even offered to take her to shop for some more, instead of just collecting her school supplies, she couldn't believe her luck. Ria new that she needed to show her gratitude towards Professor Sprout and decided she would have to find her something nice as a thank you gift, maybe a new hat, or some plant cuttings.

She couldn't wait to finally immerse herself in the world of magic, and Professor Sprout was helping her to do that. Pulling out the list Ria had spent writing up over the past few days, she followed Professor Sprout into the cavernous building that housed all the finances and vaults for the British wizarding community, she could just imagine the elevated levels of security measures that were going on inside the building.

A row of desks on either side of the cavernous hall created a wide aisle up to a tall singular desk, clearly seating an important goblin. Looking at either side of the aisle, Ria saw goblins weighing up a multitude of different gem stones, including rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Some goblins were writing out detailed extracts into ledgers, documenting transactions amid accounts and clients most likely with long feathered quills.

The goblins themselves were more than Ria had expected, with long fingers, domed heads and pointed ears, they looked to be remarkably clever as they talked to one another in a language Ria didn't recognise. Some had long spindly beards, and other gold or silver framed glasses perched at the end of their noses as they looked over their work with a careful eye. They were rather intimidating Ria found, but at the same time, she couldn't help but to admire their elevated work ethic.

"This way Ria dearie," Professor Sprout called over her shoulder, causing Ria to rush up the aisle and follow her to the central desk where a clearly important goblin sat. He was shrouded in fine cloth of vibrant colours, reminiscent of the jewels in which they dealt with. A jewelled circlet sat upon his head, and his long white beard was held together by a gold and ruby studded clasp. His fierce and intelligent eyes stared down at them from behind a pair of gold framed glasses, and long jewelled fingers grasped an eagle feather quill tightly in his hand.

"Head Goblin Ragnorak, I am Professor Sprout, and I present to you Hana-Hesperia Potter, who wishes to access her trust vault." Pomona Sprout bowed her head after speaking and gestured to Ria to place the key she had handed her upon the desk.

Doing so Ria stared up at the important goblin, the head goblin, as he examined the key carefully, twisting it between his fingers, before placing it back on the desk. Making eye contact the goblin unleashed a wicked looking smile, sharp and dangerous teeth making an appearance, as he looked down upon the young girl he had heard so much about over the past two years.

"Welcome back to the wizarding world Miss Potter, we've been expecting you for some time now."


	5. The Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ria meets a rather eccentric wizard on her first trip to Diagon Alley...

Looking down at the Head Goblin Ragnorak as he climbed of his chair and gestured for the pair to follow him, Ria realised that the magical world was more interesting than she could have ever imagined, something that she couldn’t quite believe was possible. Following Ragnorak the trio headed towards a desk further down the aisle, the goblin sat at said desk was busy writing up complex notes in another language, at least that was what Ria thought he was doing, she couldn’t be sure.

“Griphook, you will take Miss Potter and Professor Sprout to her vault, let her look around, I’m sure there are plenty of artefacts that she may wish to remove from the vault. I shall await your return and write up some documents you may wish to take with you.” With that Ragnorak turned and made his way back to his desk, a slight hobble to his step, probably due to his older age. 

Turning to face Griphook, Ria realised that though he wasn’t young, he was quite a bit younger than Ragnorak was. Finishing off his notes he shut and locked the book he had been working in before heralding them forward to follow him towards a large golden gate. Quickly unlocking it the two witches shuffled towards the cart behind it, looking remarkably like a muggle rollercoaster that Ria had seen in magazines and on the television sometimes.

“Mister Griphook, do you have a lot of security measures to ensure that no one steals anything, it’s just that I can tell Gringotts clearly plays a main part in the security of the wizarding economy.” The question left the goblin staring at the young girl in shock and bemusement, he had never had a child, or even an adult, outright ask if the security provisions the goblins had in place were satisfactory.

“I assure you Miss Potter, we goblins place a lot of pride in our security here at Gringotts. No one will be stealing anything from us, and if they try, well, we have a nasty surprise waiting for them.” He gave sharp and rather terrifying grin her way and gestured for them to take a seat in the little cart. Moving to the lever he lifted it and the cart began to move at a rapid speed down the rickety and rather bumpy track. A myriad of loops and needless turns were thrown in to throw of any potential thieves, before stopping outside of a vault.

“Vault 687. Your trust vault Miss Potter, and here’s your key, don’t lose it.” Griphook had already unlocked the main vault door and allowed it to swing open for them to go in. 

“Now dearie, take all the time you need, you’ll need some money of course to purchase your equipment, and some extra spending money for any things you like that aren’t academic. Other than that, we have some time for you to look through any artefacts and heirlooms left to you if you wish.” 

With that being said, Professor Sprout ushered Ria into the large vault where she gazed around the room with complete awe. There were piles upon piles of money scattered around the room, taking up most of the floor, a mixture of gold, silver and bronze coins. She would be sure to ask Professor Sprout what they stood for currency wise once she had looked around. 

Other than money, there was little in the way of artefacts and heirlooms, though there were some. Ria made her way towards the back of the room, where a black chest sat against the wall with her name inscribed upon the lid in silver. Lifting the lid revealed a multitude of jewellery, and jewels sat upon a plush red velvet interior. Ria picked up the first piece that caught her eye, a pendant with a gem that had beautiful swirls of red and blue. Encasing it were small silver leaves pointing outwards from the main gemstone that had been set centrally into the pendant.

“Ragnorak, what is this gem? I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she called out to him. The goblin carefully picked his way over to where the young girl had seated herself at the back of her vault, while Professor Sprout peered through a few books that had been piled up in the adjacent corner. Plucking the pendant from her hand, Griphook began to inspect the jewellery, before handing it back to her with a smile.

“That is a Mexican Fire Opal, otherwise known by most as Dragon’s Breath, it is said to mean precious stone, or a change in colour to some. Us goblins see it as meaning fierceness and a willing to fight. It is a good gem, one that your father commissioned to be created for you after your birth.” Ria gulped slightly and looked down at the pendant she held within her hands as the goblin headed back towards the vault door to guard it. This was another thing that her father had left for her, knowing that Ria would one day find it, and cherish it. 

Slipping the chain around her neck, the pendant came to rest between her collar bones perfectly, as if her father had envisioned exactly how she would grow up and therefore determined the size of the pendant from his imagination. With slight enthusiasm Ria continued to pick through the multitude of jewellery that had been left to her, choosing to take a rose gold and pink tourmaline ring, a gold and champagne diamond cuff bracelet, and lastly a ring that coiled around her finger in the shape of a snake. 

Finished with the jewellery, Ria began to look around at the other possible treasures that littered the vault, there were a few books that she thought could be interesting and placed them by the door. Most were relating to duelling and giving a clear insight into the usage of magic, and then there was one at the bottom titled ‘A Guide to Pureblood Etiquette’. Although it looked to be a boring read, Ria knew that it would at least be informative in helping her prepare for meeting students at Hogwarts from a variety of different political standings. 

“Don’t be saddened by the lack of heirlooms Miss Potter, the majority were placed inside your family vault, which you cannot have access to until you become of age at seventeen. This is just your trust vault, it holds only a small portion of your total inheritance.” Griphook had noticed how disheartened the young heir had become. Ria had realised that she had been rather ambitious in her /thought processes and plans, believing that everything she needed for success at Hogwarts would be held within the four steel walls of her vault. 

“I thought it would be easier to find things related to my parents, I guess I’ll just have to wait until I’m older I suppose. How much money would you say is appropriate to withdraw for my school supplies and some spending money. I need to get some daytime clothes as well, the Dursley’s wouldn’t let me have new clothes.” Ria needed to push forward and think about the next stage in her life, and that was starting Hogwarts. She knew that she not only had to buy her school supplies, but also some extra things on her list and a whole new wardrobe, she also wanted some extra money in case she wanted to owl order anything whilst at Hogwarts.

“I would recommend taking a substantial amount, approximately 100 galleons. That way, you will have some money left over after purchasing all of your equipment to either spend on your own desires or to just have for while you’re at Hogwarts if you need to replace anything.” With that Professor Sprout and Ria began to collect handfuls of golden coins and place them within a velvet bag that seemed to show no signs of strain no matter how full it was.

“It has an undetectable extension charm upon it, it can hold anything within it, and nobody would notice,” Professor Sprout had seen the curiosity within Ria’s eyes as she looked at the little bag that never grew, “you’ll learn that spell in a few years, and I’m sure you’ll have no problems with being able to master it.”

With that the trio made their way out of the vault, with Griphook locking the vault door behind them. Settling themselves back into the kart, Griphook directed them back to the top floor of the bank, and away from the tumultuous tunnels filled with twists and turns in all directions. Heading back into the main atrium of the bank, Griphook lead them back towards the main desk where Ragnorak was stood, clearly waiting for them whilst maintaining a look of indifference.

“Ah, miss Potter, I trust that your experience within your vault was enlightening.im sure that if you have any questions now then myself or Griphook are fully equipped to answer them for you.” As both goblins gazed upon Ria with mildly expectant eyes, sure that she had some questions to ask about the whole experience and her entrance into the magical world.

“Is there any way to exchange some of the money from my vault into muggle currency? It’s just that I have to buy some things that I’ll need at Hogwarts, and it’ll be easier to buy them from the muggle world at some point before I leave for Hogwarts,” as she spoke, the goblins looked at her with a shine in their eyes, realising that she was hoping that she could use the wizarding world to help her advance her lifestyle in the muggle world. Knowing that she would have to stay within the muggle world outside of term time until she was at least seventeen years old and reached of age, they knew that she would need any advantages to survive and push past the Dursleys.

“That is completely possibly. I can exchange the currencies right now for you, I just need to know how much muggle money you would need, and I can transfer it and ensure the transaction is in your ledger, for proof of transfer.” Ragnorak moved away some papers and reached for a thin book, made of black leather and bound together with strong leather cord. Embossed upon the front in silver was her vault number and her full name, Hana-Hesperia Lilliana Potter.

“What is that?” Ria spoke with pure curiosity filling her voice as she looked over at Ragnorak who had flipped the book open onto the first page of pure white parchment and began to write in an unusual language using a long black quill and ink the shade of the midnight sky.

“Your ledger Miss Potter. Every single transaction you ever make using your trust vault will be recorded in here, therefore, if necessary you can check to see your spending habits and the amount of funds in your possession.” As he spoke, Ragnorak continued to write down what Ria guessed to be the figures of how much money she had withdrawn from her vault that day, and the amount she had converted into muggle money. Once finished, and the ink dry, Ragnorak shut the book once again and slipped it into one of the desk draws and which he locked afterwards.

“Now, how much muggle money would you like to take with you today?” Ria had to think for a moment, quickly calculating the amount that she thought she would need to last until September when she left for Hogwarts, especially seeing as she felt that a shopping trip for some completely new clothes was in order. She wanted to ensure that when she arrived at Hogwarts in September, no one would look down on her for the way he dressed and acted. She needed to look refined, as if she had spent her whole life going through etiquette lessons that most pureblood children would have, but she would also be letting lose and buying clothes she had her eye on for years.

“Two hundred and fifty pounds please Mr Ragnorak. That should be a sufficient amount for me to purchase new clothing and some additional items I may need.” With that being said, Ragnorak moved over to another goblin, who sat at a desk on the left side of the atrium and spoke to him in their own language, one that Ria had become highly curious about, and returned with a collection of twenty-pound notes held together with a clip and slipped inside a leather wallet for safe keeping. 

Taking the money in her hand, Ria slipped the leather wallet into the inside pocket of the black coat she wore, making sure that it was safely zipped shut until she could buy a new coat, “thank you for everything Mr Ragnorak and Mr Griphook, I’ll see you next summer hopefully.” As the goblins said their goodbyes, Professor Sprout began to guide the young girl out of the large bank and back into the alley they had entered from. 

“Now then dearie, the first thing we should do is get you a wand. That’s the part that everyone looks forward to the most, and I’m sure you will not be disappointed.” Walking back down the alley, Ria couldn’t stop her eyes from flitting around and taking everything in, there was so much to see, things that she had read about in her father’s journal, but still couldn’t believe existed. It was times like these that she resented whoever had left her with the Dursley’s, if she had been raised by a magical couple after her parent’s death, then she would have grown up in this world, she wouldn’t have missed out on all the amazing things she was seeing and experiencing now.

“So where is the best place to buy wands? Is it a competitive business, the making of wands, seeing as every witch or wizard needs one?” In Ria’s mind wand making and selling must be very lucrative, especially seeing as they looked to be rather fragile. If every magical person bought a wand when they turned eleven, and then perhaps another if they broke their original, surely that was a lot of wands being made to fit the demand needed, and a lot of money must be made by those who dedicate their lives to making them.

“Oh, there’s no competition dearie, there’s only one place to get your wand from,” they stopped walking and stood in front of a small shop with a tarnished and worn sign, yet the words upon it were still clear and faintly shimmering in gold cursive “Ollivanders.” The windows showed little, but as the opened the door, and a little silver bell jingled, notifying the owner of their entrance, Ria could see how it had become renowned within the magical community.

“Wow,” the words were uttered without Ria even realising it. She had never seen anything that looked as beautiful as the shop she was in now, magic seemed to fill the air, as if it was settling upon her. The shop looked like a library inside, except instead of books lining the ceiling high shelves, there were small boxes that Ria could only guess housed a wand, individually handmade with care and placed delicately inside the box until the day someone came to collect it, just waiting for its future companion.

“Come along dearie, Mr Ollivander must be around here somewhere,” Professor Sprout made her way forward into the small and cosy shop, peering around the shelving units in a vague attempt to spot the owner of the shop. Dust settled delicately upon the surfaces, it was as if there was magic in the very air surrounding Ria. She could feel it drifting around her, permeating through the room, intermingling with the very oxygen that she was breathing in and out. The whole shop itself was magical.

“Hello Miss Potter, I’ve been expecting you,” the voice echoed through the small shop, yet wasn’t loud. It was clearly that of a man, but wisdom and age shone through, leading Ria to believe that this wizard in particular had been around for some time and had probably witnessed the birth of many prominent figures within the magical community. 

Ria shot around, her feet twisting around each other and almost tumbling over, she quickly righted herself and finally set her eyes upon the owner of the shop. He was rather old, with wide and bright silver eyes, eyes that shone rather eerily as if they contained thousands of secrets that people would beg to hear. He looked rather odd, although Ria supposed that was rather a rude label to give the man, perhaps eccentric worked better. No matter how she worded it, one thing was made abundantly clear to Ria, she had never in her whole life met a man like Mr Ollivander. 

“Ah, Mr Ollivander, just the man we’ve been looking for. Young Ria here needs a wand for Hogwarts, as I’m sure you are well aware of,” Professor Sprout took control of the situation as Ollivander and Ria maintained eye contact, neither blinking or looking away from the other. Finally, the man blinked as if bringing himself back into the real world and nodded towards the Professor that he had become well acquainted with over the years.

“Of course, Pomona, and is your wand still working for you after the Venomous Tentacula incident?” As he spoke, Ollivander began to make his way deeper into the shop, gesturing with a hand for the pair to follow him until they finally reached his desk, which was piled high with parchment and random odds and ends. To Ria’s surprise, Professor Sprout blushed a vivid shade of red at the man’s words.

“It is in perfect working order I assure you, and it was not an incident, just a small oversight,” her words were stuttered as she attempted to cover up for what Ria believed must have been a rather embarrassing situation. 

“Is that so? Filius made it seem as if you yourself was almost bitten, and the greenhouse needed significant repair. Never mind, must have been a mistake on my part,” mischief glinted within the man’s eyes as he carelessly spoke. “Stay still please Miss Potter.” 

With a careless wave of his hand a tape measure appeared from under the mess in front of her and began to take measurements of Ria. From head to toe, shoulder to shoulder and even the space between her nostrils, Ria could only guess that it was measuring something that she couldn’t see and as such didn’t bother to ask about it, she was sure she could do some research into the matter at a later date.

“Now of course onto the serious business, you’ll be needing a wand for your studies and here at Ollivanders we provide only the best, all of which have been hand crafted by myself. So I suppose we best be getting on with the wand selection then.” As the man began to move around the shelving, picking up and putting back down a variety of the narrow boxes, the question that Ria had been desperate to ask burst from between her lips.

“Mr Ollivander, did you sell my parents their wands?” At the tense silence that filled the room after the question had been asked, Ria began to backtrack in an attempt to rectify the situation, “I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me, you don’t have to-.”

“Not rude at all Miss Potter, your curiosity is of course expected,” with a deep breath he turned to face the young witch, her bright emerald eyes staring at him pleadingly. Continuing to walk around the shop, his voice grew solemn. “ You have your mother’s eyes you know? It seems as if it was just yesterday when she came here to buy her own wand, ten and a quarter inches long, made of willow and swishy. A good wand for charm work I’m positive. Now your father, you share the same messy hair, his never stayed in place and it ran through the family, I was rather good friends with his own father you know. Now his wand was eleven inches long and made of mahogany, pliable too. More powerful than your mother’s and excellent for transfiguration, which was his specialty.”

“Did they choose which wand they wanted, there are loads here, it would be hard.” Ria couldn’t believe that he had told her so much about her parents, it would seem like little to anyone else, but to her, it allowed her an insight into the kind of people they were and what their skills were academically.

“Oh no dear, see the wand chooses the wizard. It chooses the person that it will suit the best, personality wise you see. Your wand could be seen as a reflection of yourself in some ways I suppose. Now then, enough of that, try this wand for me.” With that Ria grasped the wand he had handed to her, unsure how exactly she was supposed to test it, and make sure it was right for her, “Beechwood and dragon heartstring, nine inches long and rather flexible. Give it a wave then.” 

With a short move of the hand Ria began to gently wave the wand, before it was immediately plucked from her grasp and replaced with another just as quickly. “Nope, maple and phoenix feather perhaps, seven inches and a bit whippy-.” Barely moving the wand in her hand, Ollivander snatched it from her grasp and replaced it with another. The pile of tested wands grew and grew as Ria’s patience began to lessen, she could feel a level of irritation build within her as she continued to test wands with no avail. None of them seemed to work for her.

“Mr Ollivander, this doesn’t seem to be going very well.” She didn’t want to sound whiny, but she felt that by this point there must have been a mistake somewhere along the lines, perhaps one of the wands she had already tried just didn’t have the time to react to her before he had stolen it from her hands.

“You’re a tricky customer Miss Potter, but don’t worry, we have one every year. Now how about we try this one next, I have a good feeling about this one. Holly and phoenix feather, a rather unusual combination, eleven inches in length and rather supple. Go on now, give it a wave.” With an exhausted sigh, Ria shuffled slightly before taking the wand in her right hand, the wand began to heat up slightly, becoming warm. With a great wave of the wand through the dusty air sparks of gold and silver came shooting from the tip and enveloped the room with her magic. Professor Sprout clapped her hands and cheered, while Ollivander nodded to himself in pride, knowing that he had been right about that wand being reserved for someone special.

Ria let out a deep breath, for a moment she had thought that perhaps she didn’t have the magic needed to use a wand, she feared that perhaps she would have been returned to the Dursley’s and told that come September she wouldn’t be allowed to study at Hogwarts. Ollivander began to inch closer to her as she gazed down at her wand in wonder, just like another student had done over fifty years ago, except then it had been a boy that could barely contain his hatred within him.

“Curious…curious…” Ollivander took the wand from her hand and began to gently place it back into the box and wrap it as he muttered to himself. 

“what’s curious Mr Ollivander.” Ria couldn’t help herself from asking, she happened to be a rather curious child herself.

“I remember every wand I have ever sold Miss Potter, and it just so happens to be that the phoenix who gave the feather for your wand, gave one other feather in its whole life. It is curious that you are destined for this wand, when its brother, is the wand that gave you that scar upon your very forehead.” Ria felt as if ice had frozen her in place, she wanted nothing to do with the man who had murdered her parents and many others, but the feeling she had from holding that wand was unlike anything she had ever experienced. 

“Yew, thirteen and a half inches, and very powerful. If I had known then what it would do in the wrong hands, well. Anyway, we should expect great things from you Miss Potter, for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible and horrific things yes, but great too.” With that she handed over the money for her wand and took the box within her hands. Professor Sprout gently shuffled the girl from the shop with a tired goodbye over her shoulder before gazing down at the shock filled child before her.

“Miss Potter, pay no head to what Ollivander said. That wand belongs to you, and no one else, just think of all the good that you can complete with your own wand my dear.” With a gentle pat on the head the two began to make their way down the alley again, Ria could feel herself coming back and she knew that she had so much more to research once she arrived at Hogwarts now than she did before. For now, though, Ria was determined to enjoy the rest of her day in Diagon Alley before she had to return to the Dursley’s.

“Now, we should probably go ahead and sort out the rest of your list shouldn’t we my dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hana-Hesperia is her full first name, but she will be referred to as either Hesperia or Ria for short as a preference. Other characters may have separate and unrelated nicknames for her too.
> 
> NAME MEANINGS:
> 
> Hana – Pronounced like Anna in Frozen but with an H. In Japanese it literally means flower, but in Arabic it means bliss or happiness. This kind of fits in with the whole theme of the Evans family naming female children after flowers, but it is more literal. It also fits the idea of naming the child with an H like a lot of people do in fanfics when changing the gender of Harry.
> 
> Hesperia - This is a name of Greek origin and means ‘evening star’ I chose this because, she was bringing light into a dark time with the first defeat of Voldemort. It also as shown in the chapter above, lends a hand towards a really cute nickname from her father. I feel that this would have been picked out by possibly Sirius as his family is known for naming children after constellations. 
> 
> Lilliana – So this one is pretty obvious, it’s derived from the name Lily which is the plant her mother was named after. However, it also means innocence, purity and beauty, which I felt really fit her as a person. Although she strives to make her parents proud, she is still innocent underneath.


End file.
